I try to read a couple of blog posts each day, along with newspapers in English and Italian. Some days I am able to do it, others not. I always listen to the radio during meals and when I can I watch the PBS Newshour and the Rai evening news. It’s never enough time and I often feel behind but you do the best you can.

A few posts that I read recently though had me thinking about the topics they mention though. One came out today by Charles Scicolone. I love the idea that he and Michele choose to spend their time in Rome rather than Florida or Arizona. I too hope to do that one day in the future. I have been to a number of the restaurants he mentions and know many of the wines well. It really made me miss Rome.

Another post is one by Tom Maresca about Giacomo Tachis. I don’t totally agree with his take on the wines but I understand where he is coming from about them. I don’t drink those Super Tuscans either but not for ideological reasons but rather because I can’t afford them and my tastes run elsewhere. I’ve had many a conversation about whether international grape varieties have a place in traditional regions, such as Tuscany and can see why some winemakers want to experiment whereas other insist on maintaining tradition. I think the area where I feel most strongly about this is on the use of oak and how it influences the wine. In any event, his post got me thinking about these topics.

Jeremy Parzen weighed in on a Wine Spectator article that has created a lot of clamor. I think his post was brave and at times funny. Again, the need for credentials is a topic I think about often. Personally I have sought out as many as I can pass in the time that I have, believing if I am going to be writing and speaking about wine and/or promoting it, I should have the credentials to back that up. My wine education though began purely as a hobby out of my love for the stuff.

In addition to these posts, this weekend I read many articles on the website, I-Italy.org I have written a number of articles for that site over the years, not on wine but other topics of interest to me that relate to Italy – politics, culture, art, economics, history, etc. So much to read and to write but so little time….